Chapter 4: Silence on the Other End of the Line
After joining "Light Gap", Aze attended activities every week and even went to schools with the team to promote psychological awareness. But whenever someone asked if his parents knew about his condition, he would lower his head in silence—telling his parents the truth about his illness was a hurdle he dared not cross.
One day, while Aze was helping Grandma Ah dry sunflower seeds on the farm, his phone rang. It was his mother: "Aze, your dad found you an internship opportunity through a friend. Go for the interview next week and get prepared..."
"Mom, I don't want to go—I'm not interested in that major at all..." Aze couldn't help but retort. As soon as he finished speaking, his father's voice came through the phone: "Not interested? Do you know how hard we work to put you through college? Your grades are already poor enough, and now you're being picky about internships. What on earth do you want to do!"
All the pent-up emotions burst out in an instant. Aze shouted with red eyes, "I'm sick! I have depression!" and hung up the phone. He squatted on the ground, holding his head in his hands, tears dropping onto the warm sunflower seeds spread out to dry: "They'll never believe me. They'll just think I'm making excuses..."
Lin Xiao happened to pass by and sat gently beside him: "When I told my parents the truth back then, I also thought they'd blame me. But actually, they were just worried and didn't know how to express it. Would you like to try talking to them properly? We can help you."
Chapter 5: Sunflowers at Home
A week later, Aze's parents traveled all the way from their hometown to visit. Lin Xiao took them to the farm. Looking at the vast field of golden sunflowers, Aze's mother's eyes welled up with tears: "We always thought he was just stressed out. We never imagined..."
Aze stood not far away, clutching his straw hat and too nervous to approach. His father sighed, walked over to him, and said, "Son, I'm sorry. We only cared about making you successful and never asked if you were happy... We looked up information about depression, and it's not your fault. We'll be with you through the treatment."
Aze looked up at his parents, tears finally streaming down his face: "Dad, Mom, I never meant to let you down..."
Lin Xiao walked over with a smile and handed them three small sunflower seedlings: "Aze grew these himself. Depression is like a young seedling—it needs patient care to grow and bloom. Shall we take care of them together and watch them grow?"
Back home, Aze placed the seedlings on the windowsill and watered them every day. His father made a point of researching how to care for people with depression, while his mother learned to cook his favorite dishes. On weekends, the whole family would go to the farm to help out. Watching the sunflowers in the field, Aze finally felt the heavy weight in his heart slowly lift.
Chapter 6: Heartbeats in Sync
One day, "Light Gap" received an invitation from a vocational school, hoping they could provide psychological support for some students. Aze volunteered to join the team, saying, "I want to help those who are going through the same troubles as I did."
At the school's "Sunshine Station", Aze met a boy named Xiaohang. Like Aze, Xiaohang had been criticized by his parents for poor grades and mocked by classmates. Gradually, he became withdrawn and even started self-harming.
Instead of rushing to comfort him, Aze shared his own story: "I used to think I was worthless too, until I met Sister Lin Xiao and everyone else. That's when I realized I wasn't alone..." He also took out his notebook, which recorded every step of his treatment journey and words of encouragement from friends.
As Xiaohang flipped through the notebook, tears slowly rolled down his cheeks: "I always thought I was the only one this messed up..."
"No, you're not," Aze patted him on the shoulder. "We've all walked through darkness, but as long as we're willing to reach out, we can touch the light. We're holding an activity to plant sunflowers next week—would you like to come with us?"
On the day of the activity, Xiaohang went to the farm with Aze. Everyone worked together to dig holes, sow seeds, and water the soil. As he buried the seeds in the ground, Xiaohang whispered softly: "I think I can see hope now."
Aze nodded with a smile: "Yes. The seeds will sprout, and we'll get better little by little too."